Horrible record of Cardinal Prevost in his Diocese severely limits the chance of him becoming Pope
Poor management as Bishop of Chiclayo hampers Cardinal Prevost's chances of becoming Pope
After twelve years of pontificate in which the Spanish language has dominated important positions within the Roman Curia, it seems difficult (but not impossible) for the Cardinals to once again opt for a Cardinal whose second language is Spanish.
In recent days, the name of Robert Prevost, who served as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops for two years, has begun to be heard strongly in Rome. This Augustinian cardinal of American nationality enjoys the sympathy of the pro-Francis Curia and could be the alternative if the candidacies of Parolin and Tagle fail. Parolin is haunted by the shadow of secret agreements with the Chinese communist regime and his nefarious role in the Valley of the Fallen controversy, having yielded to blackmail by the Spanish government. For Tagle, the bankruptcy of Caritas Internationalis and his videos as a star on "The Voice" could be enough for the Cardinals to ignore the Filipino.
Therefore, in Latin America and European circles, they are already working to promote the candidacy of Robert Prevost, who served as Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, for almost ten years before coming to Rome to produce bishops in the spirit of Francis. It was in January 2023 that the Pope brought Prevost to Rome to replace Cardinal Ouellet as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. That same year, in September, the Pope created him a cardinal.
Prevost's controversial management as Bishop of Chiclayo
When Prevost arrived at the Vatican, little was known about him beyond some details of his management during the pandemic, such as requiring Communion in the hand or establishing that confessions be conducted by telephone to avoid physical contact.
But since March 2024, the shadow of having mishandled some cases of abuse that occurred in his diocese has haunted him. A group of victims sent the Pope a letter explaining that in 2019, when Prevost was bishop of the diocese of Chiclayo, a priest from his diocese, Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzales, allegedly sexually assaulted three minors and that Prevost "took no action." Less well-known is the case of priest José Burga, also accused of child abuse; but until now, it has been filed by the diocesan curia.
At the time, Cardinal Prevost avoided directly answering the questions posed by this media outlet and referred us to the press office of the Diocese of Chiclayo, which in a statement justified Prevost's good conduct in this case. In September 2024, the accusation against Prevost gained even more strength when two of the allegedly abused girls gave their testimony on a television program.
A few days later, something unusual came to light: the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, instead of addressing this accusation, decided to go on the attack and persecute Father Ricardo Coronado Arrascue, who served as the victims' defense attorney. In an unprecedented statement, the Peruvian Episcopal Conference prohibited this canon lawyer from defending these victims. Since then, an ecclesiastical campaign has been unleashed under the pontificate of "zero tolerance" against this priest who defends abuse victims. In addition to prohibiting him from being a lawyer to represent victims of abuse due to the inaction and concealment of some bishops, the bishop of the Diocese of Cajamarca, Isaac Circuncisión Martínez Chuquizana, has since sought to have Ricardo Coronado removed from the priesthood after being invited to voluntarily request a dispensation. He enlisted the help of the Bishop of Chota, Víctor Villegas Suclupe, both of whom are loyal followers of Cardinal Prevost.
The bishop's pressure achieved the desired effect. InfoVaticana has been able to confirm that in December 2024, the Dicastery for the Clergy, of which Cardinal Prevost is a member, censured Ricardo Coronado Arrascue, supposedly with the specific approval of Pope Francis. His lawyer had previously approached the aforementioned dicastery to review the process and was informed that she found nothing extraordinary or any reason for censure. The speed with which this case against this Peruvian priest of the Diocese of Cajamarca, who was proving to be a thorn in Cardinal Prevost's side, was initiated and closed was strange. He was denied access to the minutes of the "trial," there was no reading of charges, and he also didn't learn the results of a preliminary investigation, whether it was truly conducted in accordance with the law or, rather, sought to find a crime. In the end, the Dicastery banned him from sponsoring causes worldwide.
In addition, days before the Pope's death, this newspaper received information that the diocese of Chiclayo had allegedly paid 150,000 dollars to the victims of abuse who denounced Cardinal Prevost for the cover-up. The Diocese's response to date has been silence.
Cardinal Prevost also has other cases in which he has exhibited his vengeful character: two priests of the Diocese of Chiclayo: a former Parish Priest of the Cathedral and a former Rector of the Seminary, who had to seek refuge in other dioceses.
What is certain is that in these twelve years of his pontificate Pope Francis has tried to fight against sexual abuse within the Church, although his decisions in many cases have gone in the opposite direction to what he preached. Scandalous cases such as those of the Argentinian bishop Gustavo Zanchetta or the Jesuit Marko Rupnik have undermined the credibility of Francis and his discourse on the fight against this scourge. The existence of a double standard depending on who the perpetrator was has been palpable, and in the case of Prevost, there are bishops who have been removed from office for less.
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